Football

Franklin Tabbed by Coaches for Third-Straight HCAC Football Championship

Aug 04, 2009

GREENWOOD, IN - Franklin
College claimed their second consecutive Heartland Collegiate
Athletic Conference football title last fall, posting a 7-0
conference mark. The Grizzlies have been selected as
the favorite to win a third-straight league crown in 2009,
according to a poll of the HCAC's eight head coaches.

2009 HCAC Preseason
Poll

Team

Points

1.

Franklin

61.5 (5.5)

2.

Mount St. Joseph

50 (1)

3.

Rose-Hulman

47.5 (1.5)

4.

Anderson

39

5.

Manchester

30

6.

Defiance

28

7.

Hanover

19

8.

Bluffton

13

Franklin, 11-2 overall in 2008, held off Mount St. Joseph in the
preseason poll, receiving 61.5 points and 5.5 first place
votes.

Mount St. Joseph placed second in the voting with 50 points and
one first place vote, while Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
finished third with 47.5 points and the final 1.5 first place
votes. Anderson University (39), Manchester College (30),
Defiance College (28), Hanover College (19), and Bluffton
University (13) round out the poll.

The Grizzlies will be looking for their third consecutive
conference crown under the direction of three-time Coach of the
Year Mike Leonard. Leonard will be striving to guide the
Grizzlies into the NCAA Division III playoffs for the third time in
as many years.

Franklin will have to fill the void left at the quarterback
position this fall after losing 2007 and 2008 HCAC Offensive Player
of the Year Chad Rupp to graduation. Rupp led the highly
powered Franklin offense, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 45
touchdowns last fall. The Evansville native threw all but 11
of Franklin's pass attempts last season, leaving little experience
under center for the 2009 squad. Senior wide receiver
Adam Mellencamp (Freetown, Ind./Brownstown
Central) returns as the Grizzlies top receiver after
catching 25 passes for 437 yards and two touchdowns last
fall. Two All-HCAC First Team members of the offensive line
also return for FC. Senior Seth Qualls (Evansville,
Ind./Reitz) and Junior ChadSchenkel (Carmel, Ind./H.S.) will anchor the
Grizzlies front line. The blue and gold offensive attack
dominated HCAC defenses last season, averaging a league-best 40.3
points and 467.6 yards of offense per game.

Franklin also lost the HCAC's Defensive Player of the Year to
graduation. Dan McManus paced the Grizzlies defensive line
with 15.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and three forced
fumbles. Franklin will turn to a trio of linebackers to lead
the Franklin defense which ranked fourth in the HCAC in yards
allowed per game (338.9) last fall. Senior's Teddy
Henkle (Seymour, Ind./H.S.) and Joe Rush
(Speedway, Ind./H.S.) and junior Nick Cochran
(Plainfield, Ind./H.S.) will look to improve on their
stats from a season ago. Cochran led FC with 104 tackles last
fall and ranked second on the club with three interceptions.
Rush notched 64 tackles and two sacks, while Henkle marked 23
tackles in only three games played.

Franklin marched all the way to the NCAA Division III
quarterfinals before falling to Wheaton 45-28 last December.
The Grizzlies begin the season on the road against Baldwin-Wallace.

Mount St. Joseph had its worst season in the HCAC since 2001,
finishing the conference campaign with a 3-4 record and a 5-5
overall mark. The Mount will look to climb back to the top of
the conference standings this fall behind their top ranked
defense. The Lions led the league last season, allowing only
15.6 points and 298.3 yards per contest. The Mount returns
All-HCAC First Team members Alex Harbin (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Elder) and Erik Prosser (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak
Hills) to the defensive side of the ball in 2009.
Harbin, a senior defensive end, led the team with four sacks and
10.5 tackles for loss last fall, while Prosser ranked second on the
squad with 71 tackles from the linebacker position.
Junior running back Jake Davis (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Anderson) will return to pace the Mount
offense. Davis led MSJ on the ground with 702 yards and 11
touchdowns on 150 carries last fall. Mount St. Joseph will
open the 2009 season at Wilmington (OH).

Rose-Hulman finished second in the conference last season with a
5-2 conference record, finishing 7-3 overall. The Engineers
ranked second in the HCAC in scoring offense, averaging 28.1 points
per game a year ago and return the core of that offensive
unit. Senior quarterback Derek Eitel (Marshall,
Ill./H.S.), junior wide receiver Reed Eason (St.
Louis, Mo./Parkway North), and senior running back
Calvin Bueltel (Huntingburg, Ind./Southridge) all
return after being named All-HCAC a year ago. Eitel threw for
1,564 yards and 12 touchdowns last fall to earn a spot on the
All-HCAC Second Team. Bueltel led the HCAC in rushing yards,
tallying 1,096 yards and 12 touchdowns on 206 carries, while Eason
led all Engineer receivers with 433 yards and five
touchdowns. Senior defensive back Kyle Stevens (Santa
Cruz, Cali./Harbor) and junior linebacker Scott
Eaton (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) return to lead
the Rose defense. Stevens and Eaton each tallied 70 tackles
and four tackles for loss a season ago. Rose-Hulman opens the
season on the road against Earlham.

Anderson finished third in the league standings last fall with a
4-3 mark (5-5 overall). Junior running back Daryll
Stott (Union City, Ind./H.S.) returns to lead the Ravens'
offensive unit in 2009. Anderson ranked third in offense as a
team in 2008, averaging 27.4 points and 385.5 yards per game.
Stott rushed for 1,038 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, leading
the HCAC with a 115.3 rushing yards per game average. Senior
kicker Tristan Cork (Indianapolis, Ind./Heritage
Christian) returns after leading the conference with nine
field goals made last season, including a school-record 51 yard
field goal against Franklin. Anderson will open the season at
rival Taylor.

Manchester finished last season 3-4 in conference play and 5-5
overall. The Spartans return the core of their offensive and
defensive units that ranked second in the HCAC last fall.
Senior quarterback Caleb Grimes (South Haven,
Mich./H.S.) returns under center as a dual threat option
for the black and gold. Grimes threw for over 2,000 yards and
15 touchdowns and rushed for 467 yards and three scores last
fall. Senior running back Brandon Wells (Woodburn,
Ind./Woodlan) returns after leading the Spartans with 923
yards and a league-high 13 touchdowns on the ground. Seniors
Mike DePoy (South Bend, Ind./Clay) and
Jermiah Jones (East Chicago, Ind./East Chicago
Central) return to anchor the defensive which ranked
second in scoring defense (22.6 ppg) and total defense (329.8 ypg)
last fall. DePoy led the Spartans with 91 tackles last
season, while Jones added 42 tackles, two interceptions, and 10
pass breakups in the secondary. Manchester will play under
the lights on Thursday, September 3 at home against Trine to kick
off the season.

Defiance finished along side Anderson in the conference
standings with a 4-3 record. The Jackets finished the season
4-6 overall after winning their final four contests. The
Yellow Jackets will look to the defense for a successful 2009
season. DC ranked third in the HCAC in scoring defense last
fall, surrendering 24.3 points per game. The Defiance offense
struggled throughout the season, ranking seventh in scoring
averaging 16.6 points per contest. Senior defensive back
Travis Guisinger (Lima, Ohio/Elida) returns to the
defensive side of the football for the Jackets. Guisinger
recorded 65 tackles and a team-high nine tackles for loss last
season. Defiance will open the schedule at home against
Muskingum.

Hanover posted a 2-5 conference mark and 2-7 overall record last
season in coach Joe Austin's first season at the helm. The
Panthers finished seventh in the conference in scoring defense
(37.2 ppg) a year ago. Hanover returns two first-team
All-HCAC selections from last season to the defensive side of the
ball. Sophomore defensive back Rory Mannering
(Walton, Ind./Lewis Cass) and junior linebacker
Michael Spillmann (Franklin, Ind./H.S.) look to
improve on last year's stats. Spillmann led the team with 104
tackles and added 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two
interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Mannering ranked
second on the team with 93 tackles and added four tackles for loss,
three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. Hanover
will open the 2009 season at home against Centre (KY).

Bluffton finished 1-9 overall last season with a conference mark
of 0-7. The Beavers return two All-HCAC Second-Team
selections from last year's team. Sophomore specialist
Antwane Miller (Canton, Ohio/Timken) and senior
kicker Jonathan Thompson (Carmel, Ind./H.S.) each
return to help contribute some points offensively. The
Beavers ranked last among HCAC teams in scoring offense (10.3 ppg),
scoring defense (37.7 ppg), and total offense (190.8 ypg) last
fall. Bluffton will open the season at home vs. Alma
(MI).

The first weekend of the 2009 season is on September 5 with the
conference season slated to begin on October 3.